Nabil El-Nayal

One of Nabil El-Nayal’s earliest memories is being in his father’s textile shop in Syria, admiring metres-high rolls of fabric. It was here that he first discovered his love for fashion and found his favourite fabric, Cotton Organdie, which he has carried through all of his collections to date. His Elizabethan-inspired designs have captured the eye of some big names, from Harrods buying his MA final collection to Karl Lagerfeld himself snapping up one of his designs for Amanda Harlech. This year, for the second time, Nabil has been shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH award, and has only recently discovered that he is one of the eight finalists for 2017.

Why did you choose to study your BA (Hons) Fashion degree in Manchester?

There is a grit in Manchester that you cannot get anywhere else, it has a totally different edge. Being a fashion designer in Syria was not really an option, so my parents took a chance on me and we all moved back to the UK. I researched different courses and universities intensely. I knew I did not want to go to London, as I was worried that I would be a small fish in a huge pond. I wanted to gain all the practical skills and experiences that I possibly could but in a nurturing environment and that is what appealed to me most about Manchester.

How did you find the course?

It was the best thing I ever did; the BA (Hons) Fashion was the first step to changing my life. I learnt so much during my time studying, the lecturers at Manchester Metropolitan are better than the best. Alison Welsh is incredible, she is such an intelligent and compassionate person. She looks at your work from a human perspective and understands what you are trying to achieve on a deeper level. She understands the demands of the industry whilst also respecting the integrity of design – Alison’s understanding of creative fashion practice and its application is rare.

The course helped me to fuse my creativity with functionality. I’ve always had an interest in history and started researching the Victorian period and worked my way back to the Elizabethan, and I’ve stuck with that ever since. Studying at Manchester Metropolitan gives you the freedom to be exactly who you want to be whilst showing you the many routes you can take to get there.

Alison encouraged me to do competitions, such as the Royal Society of Arts Student Award, which I went on to win! It was my first real interview and I had to present my drawings and designs to a panel of fifteen, including the late Anne Tyrell MBE, who was my mentor. I then completed my final collection, showed it at Graduate Fashion Week in London and was shortlisted for the Gala Show. I presented my collection to the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Julian McDonald, and won womenswear designer of the year!

What have you been up to since graduating?

After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan, I was awarded the British Fashion Council MA scholarship award. A number of influential fashion insiders including the late Anne Tyrrell MBE and Christopher Bailey of Burberry interviewed me. The award enabled me to go on to study a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art. Following my interview, Christopher Bailey contacted me to ask if I would intern for him at Burberry, which I did for six weeks before starting my MA, and it was the first time that I was fully immersed in the fashion industry. Studying for my masters was the hardest I have ever had to work, but the back-to-back projects and assignments made me refine my work – I learned how to prioritise. Harrods snapped up my MA collection entitled ‘She Smokes’ as part of the Harrods Launches platform.

In 2015, I was accepted onto my PhD with Manchester Fashion Institute. In the same year, I was shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH award for the first time. It was here that I met Karl Lagerfeld, he found my method of bonded pleating fascinating and bought one of my shirts straight off the mannequin for Amanda Harlech – it was an amazing experience! He is very intelligent and articulate and recognises all manners of creativity. I spoke to him about my work and concepts and he completely understood how I use white shirts as a canvas for my ideas.

The feedback from the LVMH panel was that my designs were there but there was no business-side to my brand. So I took that feedback on board and built up my business, Nabil Nayal, with my now business partner Jennifer Davies, who I have known for almost eight years. I reapplied for the LVMH award this year, and was shortlisted for the second time, which is amazing in itself! I have just found out that I am one of the eight finalists – I will be going back to Paris in June for the finals. I’m excited to have the opportunity to share what we want to do with our business with the panel.

How important has postgraduate study been to you and your career?

I see a huge value in doing postgraduate studies; the process has influenced my career in a very positive way – especially the practice-based PhD that I am currently undertaking. I would recommend it to most people. As a creative, it gives you the chance to take three years to submerge yourself in intensive research processes to really understand your craft. Through the structure of a PhD, you have the opportunity to analyse and research your ideas and designs in a meaningful and valuable way. Since starting my PhD, I have been more systematic than I have ever been in my research. It has also positively affected my work creatively; it has given me a complete and clear focus, which is all about the Elizabethan era now. The facilities we have at Manchester Fashion Institute are second to none, they allow you to experiment and find new creative solutions to problems. I love being able to sit in there for hours and hours, days on end, trying new things and coming up with innovative ideas.

If there were one thing you could tell your younger self, what would it be?

I am very impatient; I want everything to happen immediately. So I would tell myself to be patient and to let my ideas, designs and career grow organically and to happen in their own way. Fortunately, it happened to turn out that way anyway. I would have saved myself a lot of stress if I had thought to myself ‘let it be, it’ll be fine’ and just let life work itself out. Perseverance is key – be determined also. Listen to all those you respect but at the end of the day, it is your decision. You can’t design by committee – you have to trust ‘you’.